5 comments:

i'm curious what Obama supporters like yourself are all excited about?

serious question.

to me, he's a Dem. that's bad.

he's a Senator. that's bad.

he's done almost nothing to stop the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. that's bad.

He approved Condi for torturer in chief position at State. that's bad.

i'm trying to extend the benefit of the doubt and say that all the white folks supporting Obama are not the same as Joe Biden - just so impressed that a black man can be good-looking and talk white and act classy all at the same time - but i'm having a tough time finding other reasons for all the hysteria. what is it?

i'm not saying this is your situation, Britt, but I think i cracked this Obama craze stuff.

it the whole 'white guilt' thing:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/30/opinion/main2413315.shtml

Peter Beinhart is a dunce about most things, but i think he got this one.

that's part of the reason Biden was ridiculed so much - what he said was true. Most white people are scared to death of black people, and so darn impressed when they hear a black person 'talk white' - they just can't help themselves.

it's that whole, "See! I voted for Obama! Toldja I'm not a racist."

not that i have anything in particular against Obama that i don't have against the other candidates - he's not anymore a criminal than the rest of them, and he probably would make a significantly better president than Clinton or any of the other major candidates.

but the people who own this country will never let him get near the white house. they know they own Hillary, but Obama is still a wild card. he hasn't paid his dues yet.

I am excited that Obama won Iowa because I think he would be a tremendous President of the United States. I think Clinton and Edwards would be fine too, but I am most excited about Obama. Way before he ran for President I read his books and I listened to his podcast each week. The bottom line is, I trust him more than the other candidates. I am not politically astute enough to give you a laundry list of reasons I want to vote for him. I'm just going from my gut, and my gut says that Barack Obama would be able to make great strides towards putting our world, not just America, but our world, more in balance. It's ok if that isn't what your gut says, but it it what mine says.

I greatly appreciate your willingness to engage in this conversation on your blog. Admittedly, reading this exchange has amplified my own concerns as a Black woman who can be profiled in the same light as Obama (educated etc.) Keeping with this logic, how far will 'white guilt' permit me to climb? This only reinforces the myth of the American dream.

i heard Obama speak for the first time - dude can put it down. maybe that's why some people are so into him?

as for the american dream, i'm with george carlin - 'it is a dream, because you gotta be asleep to believe it'.

on the 'white guilt' thing, everyone is trying to explain what went wrong with the NH polls. the tv heads were talking about caucuses (where you publicly, out in the open, around neighbors, declare your vote) vs. primaries (where you get privacy). there is also the 'lying to the pollsters' angle, which does not necessarily involve intentional deception afaik. but, Obama's run doesn't seem any different than Howard Dean's. both outsiders, both good speechifiers, both good fundraisers, both trying to take down a Clintonite, both pulled the young vote, etc. there was no 'white guilt' factor working for Dean, so maybe there was no factor working for Obama? maybe there was just a confluence of circumstances (including Obama just being a good candidate) that helped Obama win huge in Iowa and Hillary place third?